Torpedo-placer.



4 "BEST AvAzLABLE c0? PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904.

E. N. ANDREWS.

TORPEDO PLAGER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1904.

2 SHEBTSSHEBT 1.

N0 MODEL.

L-VV/FN TOR.

W1 [NESSES A T TOR/VIE Y'.

BEST AVAiLABLE GOP PATBNTED OCT. 4, 1904.

B. N. ANDREWS. TORPBDO PLACER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y'.

' BEST AVAILABLE cos Patented October 4, 190

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD N. ANDREWS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A SSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOBENNIGH B. OALDWVELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TORPEDO-PLACER.

' SPEGIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 771,348, dated October4, 1904.

Application filed February 29, 1904. Serial No. 195,827. (No model.)

To all whomit may concern:

in torpedo-placers; and it consists in the novel construction andcombination of parts more fully set forth in the specification andpointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rear end of acar-truck having my invention applied thereto. Fig 2 is a verticaltransverse section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe torpedo-placer with operating parts in their depressed position.

Fig. A: is a'similar view with operating parts I in their normal orraised position.

Fig. 5 is a transversefvertical sectlon on.l1ne 5 5 of Fig. 4., showingthe operating parts, how- I ever, partially depressed. Fig. 6 is ahorizontal section on .line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sideelevation of the lower portion of'the torpedo-placer. Fig. 8 -is a viewat right angles to Fig. 7 with parts broken away. Fig. 9 is a broadsideelevation of the torpedo-holder and torpedo mounted thereon. Fig. 10 isa vertical cross-section on line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is aperspective view of the link coupled to the scraper-plunger. and Fig. 12is a horizontal section on line 12 12 of Fig. 8. I

It is the prevailing practice in railroading to avoid rear-endcollisions in the event that the train ahead is on the main track andhas been obliged to stop for any purpose to warn the train in the rearof that fact by despatching a flagman or brakeman a suitable distance tothe rear, where he deposits a torpedo on the rail, said torpedo beingexploded by the rear train as it passes over the same. The explosionserves as a signal or warning to the engineer of the rear train. Inorder to avoid the delay in depositing the torpedo, (for often thecollisionoecurs before the brakeman can place the explosive on thetrack) I .have de- 5 vised the present invention, the placing of thetorpedo on the rail being accomplished by the engineer by means ofcompressed air actuating the depositing mechanism, such air beingsupplied by the air-pump which furnishes air for the brakes. a

Another object of the present invention is to clean the rail in advanceof depositing the torpedo to insure that no obstruction is in the waywhen the torpedo is dropped.

In detail the invention may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a longitudinally-split tube orreceptacle into which the torpedoes are initially charged, the 5respective halves of the tube being separated at diametricallyopposite'points by slits or ways 2 2, with which communicate therecesses 3, formed in the spiders or disks 4', which couple saidrespective halves tothe outer casing 7 5. The latter, as well as thepump-cylinder, are secured to the car-truck by straps S S. Adapted toreciprocate within the space bea tween the outer casing 5 and thechargingtube 1 and preferably guided Within tubular bearings 6,0arriedby the upper spider ordisk, is a U-shaped frame 7, whose upper closedend is coupled to the adjacent end of a pistonrod 8, the piston 9 ofwhich operates in a cylinder 10, (open at the bottom,) whose closed 30end is in communication through a pipe 11 with any source ofcompressed-air supply under the control of the engineer of the train.

Formed at a convenient point along the piston-rod 8 is a wedge-shapedprojection or tap- 5 pet 12, the base of which as the piston isdescending is adapted to strike the oscillating arm 13, forming a partof a link 14, pivoted to a bracket 15, secured to the casing 5, said arm13 and link 1 oscillating about a com- 9 mon axis or pivot, as shown.Coupled to the link through the longitudinally-elongated terminal slot16 thereof, and reciprocating in the bearings 17 17, carried by thecasing, is a plunger 18, whose lower end terminates in a fork 19,adapted to loosely straddle the rail R, and thus scrape and clean therail in advance of the deposit of the torpedo thereon.

)upled, respectively, to the arms of the frame and to the bearings 6 arethe opposite ends f the contracting springs 20. i The torpedo-holder iscomposed of an outer tubular sleeve or casing 21, within which areadapted to loosely operate from opposite ends the slide members 22 ofthe grip'pingarms 23, the arms being drawn together by the spring 24,coiled about the sleeve and having its opposite ends respectivelysecured to the upper ends of the arms. Clamped about the sleeve is thetorpedo T, of any prevailing construc-.

tion, the clamping being effected by the arms 25, forming extensions ofthe base-plate of the torpedo. The upper ends of the arms 23are-provided with lips or lugs 26, which when the torpedo and its holderare inserted into the charging-tube 1 project beyond the slits or ways2, the recesses 3 accommodating them in their-free descent or passagedown the tube. Pivoted adjacent to the free ends of the arms of theframe'7 and limited in their upward swing by the lugs 27 are the pawls28, normally held against the lugs 27 by the flexed springs 29.Projecting laterally from each pawl is a pin 30, which rides over anoutwardly bent or bowed spring or plate 31, se-

- cured at its upper end to the wall of the charg-.

.arms 23ipreparatory to their gripping the rail R. The rear lower edgeof the tube 1 of course is slightly raised above the advancing edge inorder that it may pass over the head ofthe torpedo when, once depositedon the rai i The operation of the device is as follows: First, thecharging-tube 1 is filled with torpedoes mountedon-their respectiveholders, the latter, being inserted into the tube by slipping the arms23 into the ways 2 until the torpedoes and their holders fill the tube.Assuming that the tube 1 is filled and that the parts are in theirhighest position or that corresponding to the parts as shown in Fig. 1,the engineer now admits compressed air above the piston 9, this actionforcing the pistonrod 8 downward, causing the tappet-l2 to trip the arni13 downwardly and oscillate the link 14: downwardly, said link in turnforcing the plunger 18 downward until the fork 19 embraces the rail.whereby, as the car travels along, the said fork will clean the rail ofdirt, snow, and the like, Fig. 3. All the time that the piston isdescending, however, the frame 7 is being forced downward, Fig. 5, thepawls 28 being forced against the lips 26 of the bottom torpedo-holder,forcing the latter downward; but 'as the lips 26 straddle the wedges 32the inclined edges of the latter will cause the said lips to be drawnhorizontally outward, thus pulling the members 22 of the arms 23 out oftheir sleeve 21, and hence permitting the said arms 23 to straddle thetread of the rail. the wedges 32 the torpedo, with its holder, will 'ofcourse drop off; but the spring 24:, which has become stretched underthe separating action of the wedges 32, will now suddenly contract,forcing the members 22 into the sleeve 21 and causing the arms 23 tosnugly grip the rail. The frame 7 in thus descending to effect a depositof course stretches the springs 20, which, upon removal of theair-pressure above the piston 9, restore the.

parts to their normal position. In resuming its normalor elevatedposition the frame 7 strikes the depressed link 14, thus pulling theplunger 18 after it. parts to their normal position the pins 30 areforced to ride over the spring 31,, which, by the way, are stifier thanthe springs 2 9,.caus ing the pawls 28 to tilt outwardly a sufficientdistance to-pass by the lips 26 of the next succeeding torpedo, whichhas now taken the 1 place of the one-ejected, Fig. 8, the pawls-resumingtheir horizontal position under the actions of the springs 29 after theyhave passed beyond the influence of the springs 31 and,

fully above the lips 26 of such torpedo-holder. The latter is now inposition to be ejected, as was the one before it, and so on. tion of thetorpedo of course the springs 31 are forced to straighten out under theaction of the pins30, the pawls 28 being rigid for the downward movementof the frame 7, being that they are locked against the lugs 27.v Infilling the tube 1 originally the engineer preferably forces the frame 7downward until the pawls 28 are some distance below the springs 31, soas to allow the bottom torpedo-holder to properly seat itself within thetube, after which by slightly elevating the frame the pawls 28 willautomatically close or lock over the lips 26, Fig. 8, in the mannerindicated. In Fig. 5 I have shown several dotted torpedoes and holdersto illustrate the position the same would occupy in the charging-tube.The car running in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, it isapparent that the rail will first be cleaned and scraped by theadvancing scraper or fork 19, by which time the torpedo-holder andtorpedo will be fully ejected from the tube 1 and gripped about therail.

here shown, as they may in a measure be departed from without in anywise affecting the nature or spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, What I claim is v 1. In a torpedo-placera suitable charging tube or receptacle, a torpedo-holder adapted Themoment the lips 26 slip off Again, in restoring the In the ejec- I donot wish to be limited to the details 771,348 BEST AVAlLABLE CG? 8 to beejected from said tube, said holder comprising a pair of reciprocatingrail-gripping arms, a spring for normally holding the arms in acontracted position, and means for separating the arms against thetension of the spring at the moment of ejection of the holder from thecharging-tube, substantially as set forth.

2. In a torpedo-placer, a suitable chargingtube, means for ejecting thetorpedo from the same, devices coupled to the torpedo for gripping therail upon ejection thereof from the tube, and means for cleaning orscraping the rail in advanceof the ejection aforesaid, sub stantially asset forth.

3. In a torpedo-placer, asuitable chargingtube, means for ejecting thetorpedo from the same, devices coupled to the torpedo for gripping therail upon ejection thereof from the tube, and means cooperativelyconnected to the ejecting devices for cleaning the rail in advance ofthe ejection aforesaid, substan tially as set forth.

4. In a torpedo-placer, a suitable chargingtube, a reciprocatingejecting-frame operating in conjunction therewith, a fluid-operatedreciprocating piston coupled to said frame, a plunger, a terminal forkat the lower end thereof for loosely embracing the rail, intermediateconnections between the piston and .plunger for actuating the latter inone direction upon the depression of the ejecting-frame, means forrestoring the frame to its normal position, and intermediate connectionsbetween the frame and plunger for restoring the latter to its normalposition with the return of the frame to a corresponding position,substantially as set forth.

' 5. In atorpedo-placer, a longitudinally-slit charging-tube,terminalwedges on either side of the slit at the base of the tube, atorpedoholder adapted to be guided by the walls of the slit of the tube,andcomprising an inclosing sleeve or casing, sliding members within thesame, rail-gripping arms'depending from said members, acontracting-spring connecting the arms together, a suitablereciprocating frame for forcing the holder along the wedges andsimultaneously forcing the arms outwardly sufliciently to straddle therail, the

spring automatically drawing the arms together and insuring the grippingof the rail by the latter, upon the passing of the holder off thewedges, substantially as set forth.

6. In a torpedo-placer, a suitable longitudinally-split tube orreceptacle for the torpedo, a reciprocating frame adapted to eject thetorpedo out of the tube, a piston-rod and piston coupled to the frame, atappet on said pistonrod, a swinging arm pivoted in the path of saidtappet and adapted to be struck thereby in the downward movement of thepiston, a link connected to the arm and. oscillating about the same axistherewith, a suitably-guided plunger mounted adjacent to thechargingtube, a terminal fork at the lower end of the plunger adapted tostraddle the rail, and springs for returning the frame to its normalposition, the link aforesaid being adapted to be struck in such movementand the plunger restored to its normal position, substantially as setforth.

7. In a torpedo-placer, a longitudinally-slit charging-tube, wedges atthe lower end thereof on each side of the respective slits, areciprocating U-shaped frame having arms operating in the plane of theslits or ways, terminal spring-controlled pawls held against rotationduring the descent of the frame, a curved or bowed spring for tiltingthe pawls outwardly to enable the same to resume their normal positionafter they have passed beyond the influence of said bowed springs, atorpedo-holder being guided in the slits of the tube and having movablearms adapted to be separated during their travel over the wedgesaforesaid, and lips on said arms straddling the slits and wedges adaptedto be engaged from above upon the resumption by the pawls of theirnormal position, substantially as set forth.

8. In a torpedo-placer, a holder for the torpedo comprising a suitablesleeve or casing, sliding members operating in the sleeve, dependingarms secured to said slidingmembers, a spring coiled about the sleeveand having its opposite ends connected to the arms, lips at the upperends of the arms, a charging-tube for the holder, wedges at the base ofthe tube, the lips on the holder being adapted to straddle said wedges,-and ejecting device for forcing the holder toward the wedges, the lipsengaging and straddling the wedges under the circumstances and spreadingthe sliding members and forcing the arms apart, the spring suddenlydrawing the parts together upon final ejection from the tube, andcausing the arms to grip the rail, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDIVARD N. ANDREI/VS.

itnesses:

EMIL STAREK, MARY I). WVm'rooMB.

